The Winter People

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death by suicide, pregnancy loss, child death, and anti-Indigenous racism.

Sara Harrison Shea is one of the protagonists of The Winter People. In 1908, Sara is a 31-year-old woman who was born and raised on a small homestead in West Hall, Vermont. As a child, Sara was told by her primary caregiver, Auntie, that she had a special gift. She manifested this by having the foresight to see from a young age that Martin Shea would be her husband one day. Sara’s upbringing was tough because her family was poor; they “eked out a living” (25) on the small property with poor soil. From this, Sara learned important survival skills such as shooting and skinning animals. She is clever, confident, and has an “otherworldly” beauty.

Although she has a history of depression and anxiety following a series of pregnancy losses and an infant death, at the beginning of the novel, Sara is happy. She loves her husband and is close with her daughter Gertie. Following the death of Gertie, however, Sara unravels. She withdraws from friends and loved ones, refuses food, and barely leaves her bed. She is consumed with her grief.